


Three's Company

by muckkles



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Polyamory, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 07:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4130227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muckkles/pseuds/muckkles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of Garrett Hawke, a teacher’s assistant who falls for a bleeding heart med student and a reserved archivist, and his journey through love, family, and acceptance. Also the three of them being massively adorable dorks. That too.</p><p>More characters and possibly ships will be added in subsequent chapters. Eventually the whole DA2 crew will be here! Will update tags as needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've kind of been trapped in this hell where I ship this OT3 super hard and hardly anyone else does so there isn't much fic! And I've never written a fic before, but I decided to try my hand at it because I am so desperate for more works involving these three in a healthy relationship.
> 
> Special thanks to tumblr users pharika and actualhawke for betaing and helping me work through headcanons!

Garrett Hawke had always known, from the time he was very small, that his destiny was to fall in love; that he was going to meet The One right when he least expected it and they would be inseparable for the rest of their days. He knew this because he had a legacy that promised him true love did indeed exist. Also he had probably read one too many over the top teen romance novels in his adolescence.

He had heard the story of his parents’ meeting many times. His father Malcolm Hawke had been a troubled teenager, always restless, always getting into trouble. His small southern hometown wasn’t enough to contain his big dreams, and so he skipped out of it not too long after graduating high school. He bounced around the country, technically homeless and definitely directionless. 

Then he met Leandra. The seedy bar he found her hanging around was not the kind of place a girl of her high class upbringing would usually frequent. He was immediately infatuated with her. The two spent several weeks attached at the hip, the longest Malcolm had ever stayed in one place since leaving home, and it wasn’t long before they learned a little surprise was on the way. That surprise was of course, Garrett. Baby Garrett was the catalyst that made Malcolm turn his life around. The two eloped and he settled down with Leandra in the same kind of town he had hoped to escape from. Together the young couple planted their roots in some farmland right smack in the middle of the country. 

And that’s where Garrett’s own memories start. Growing up on the farm with his mother and father and twin siblings had been tough at times. They certainly weren’t wealthy and the children were expected to help out around the fields when they grew old enough. However it had been a good life, a happy childhood full of love and warmth. 

When Garrett’s father passed away, it was as if a hole had been punched out of their close family. And it left jagged edges. They noticed his absence in the little things. In the large work shoes left by the back door indefinitely and the lingering smell of his cologne on his jacket hanging over the back of the recliner. Dinner was always just a little more somber from then on. The family all habitually averted their gazes from the achingly empty fifth chair and prayed for somebody else - _anybody_ else - to break the silence that had fallen over the entire household.

Garrett had just started high school, and suddenly all of his father’s responsibilities were passed on to him. Leandra tried to stay strong for her children, but he could see how Malcolm’s untimely death and the day-to-day rigor of life on the farm took its toll on her. Still, she never stopped loving her husband. It didn’t slip past Garrett’s attention. This was a love he always hoped to have for himself one day when he met the right person. 

Moving out for college had been his first step toward a life of his own. With Garrett out of the house, Leandra had chosen to sell the old farm despite the memories, and move into the suburbs, which also put the family closer to Garrett’s university. Neither she nor Malcolm had gotten the chance to receive a degree and Leandra was extremely proud of her oldest. College life seemed to suit him. He had worked his ass off to get a scholarship and was not planning on squandering his opportunity. His best friend Varric managed to sign them up to room in a dorm together as undergrads and Garrett was thankful for having a familiar face around. 

Varric was a Literature major and spent much of his free time shoving his unfinished manuscripts under Garrett’s nose for approval. Garrett wasn’t exactly sure why, as his critiques usually sounded something like “Well at least this wasn’t as trashy as the last one.” Garrett’s major was still undeclared. He felt like he needed a taste of everything before settling on one life path, although he envied others who seemed so sure of their life goals.

It was during the end of his sophomore year that Garrett first caught a glimpse of his future -- and it came in the form of a scruffy pre-Med student sitting across the classroom from him in an intro to Anthropology course. The professor decided to pull the tired “give us your name, major, and one interesting thing about you” ice breaker for the first class and that’s how he learned his name was Anders, he wished to be a doctor, and he could tie a knot in a cherry stem using only his tongue. Garrett swore Anders glanced his way when he said that last bit, a sly grin on his face, but he was probably just imagining it. 

The rest of the class tittered amongst themselves and then it was the next person’s turn for introductions and then the class was over. As everyone filed out of the room and down the hall, Garrett had caught up to Anders and introduced himself, technically for the second time given the awkward first-day-of-class ritual. He gave Anders what he hoped was a confident and easygoing grin. Anders smiled in return and said, “Yeah. You’re the one with the twin siblings. Funny how you think the most interesting thing about you is the existence of other people in your life.”

Garrett had faltered, not knowing how to respond, but Anders laughed it off easily and all at once it seemed they were regularly going out for coffee and studying together and chatting between classes. He learned Anders was actually a couple years older than him, having started his college career a little later than usual after what he calls a wild rebellious phase that he hadn’t quite grown out of. He was definitely not like most stereotypical students bound for doctoral glory. His right ear was pierced, his blond hair long enough to tie back in a ponytail (although Garrett preferred his occasional buns), and he frequently wore cat slippers to class. Okay so maybe he was exactly like every other poor college undergrad, but at the same time there was something unique and magnetic about him. Garrett set aside much of his free time just to be around Anders and listen to him speak about his passions and share in his dreams. Garrett had never been in love before, but he felt like he could fall for this man, with the warm aura and open heart. 

The idea quickly died when it was revealed Anders already had a boyfriend, an even older man named Karl. Garrett had suddenly felt rather like a child when he made this discovery, but he liked Karl well enough and tried to tamp down his crush on Anders for all their sakes.

However Karl lived in a far off city, one Anders didn’t have any plans to move back to, and their long distance relationship became strained. When the inevitable break up occurred, Garrett was there for Anders with cliché ice cream, romcoms, and plenty of tissues. They spent the rest of their undergraduate careers forming a close friendship. 

Varric eventually moved away to take part in a distant graduate program and promote his manuscripts to publishers. Being unable to stay in the dorms any longer, Garrett rented an apartment near the university and he invited Anders to room with him while they both officially started graduate school. Anders was continuing in their university’s rather well-known medical program. For his part, Garrett had finally chosen a path for himself. Interested in the diversity of the human experience, he aimed to begin a graduate study in Anthropology which was also coincidentally the intro course in which he first met Anders. Garrett would later consider that day to be one of the most important in his life. For now, he was a humble TA, doing research, grading tests, and editing power points, and living with a man who Garrett was slowly beginning to think might be The One he had hoped to find since he was a young child listening to the tale of his parents’ whirlwind romance. 

Garrett was content with where his life was headed, until he was given another reason to be unsure of himself; another complication, another frustration. Another wonderful drop of sunshine. But, he was getting ahead of himself as usual. 

It all started on a grey Tuesday morning with the clanging of an ancient door and Garrett stumbling over a worn doormat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter was short since I didn't want to drag the backstory out too much. We're getting into the main story starting next chapter ;)


	2. Two for One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett and Fenris meet for the first time. Garrett and Anders have an evening in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to my betas and thank you for all your comments and kudos! I wasn't expecting this much attention from just the prologue.
> 
> As for actual chapter notes, I wanted to acknowledge now that I am only a History undergrad myself so I know next to nothing about how grad school works which means I'm trying to leave those parts of the story intentionally sorta vague. Also the only archive I've ever been to is the very small one we have on my campus so that's what I'm basing this one on.

Garrett looked on in dismay as all of the papers he was carrying under one arm slipped out and fluttered to the ground all around his feet. At least his coffee had survived the trip. He sighed and squatted to gather up the now slightly rumpled sheets of data. He glanced up at the desk standing several feet away from the door. Someone was sitting at the desk, although all he could see from this angle was the top of their head, full of snowy white hair. Garrett wondered absently if he should ask Varric for a lesson in metaphor. Were there other white things a guy could compare hair too? Ones that weren’t cliché or immediately off-putting?

When he finally had his stack together he stood up straight and ran a hand through his own dark damp hair. 

“Hi! I’m, uh-“ 

Garrett blinked in surprise. The white hair had thrown him off, but the person sitting before him was certainly no older than perhaps 25. He had tattoos to match his hair color, starting at his lips and dipping over his chin and down his neck in elegant patterns. The white ink on top of his brown skin provided a nice and unique contrast but Garrett wasn’t sure if that would be a weird compliment to voice.

The man who Garrett could only guess was one of the archivists on staff looked up from the newspaper he had propped on his knee. 

Garrett cleared his throat. “Oh… Um, hi.” Yes, well no one had ever accused him of being eloquent. Plus he was kind of miffed that the man hadn’t helped him with his papers. Or at least acknowledged that he had entered the room.

The white-haired man stared at Garrett with narrowed green eyes. 

“Yes?” 

He seemed irritated that Garrett had interrupted his very thrilling crossword puzzle time. Garrett wasn’t sure how he was able to stuff so much animosity into one word. 

“Hi!” 

This was the third time Garrett had said hi without introducing himself. He was keeping track mentally so he could know just how much self-loathing to work through later. “I’m Garrett Hawke. I’m a student over at Kirkwall State.” He pointed toward the front door to the campus just across the street. “I think they called ahead and told the archive I would be doing some research here..?” 

Garrett instinctively raised his hand to shake with the stranger and subsequently lost his grip on his papers again, almost making them scatter over the desktop. He swore as he fumbled with the stack and saw the corners of the other man’s lips twitch just briefly as if he were fighting back a smile. It was then that he noticed the man was wearing a nametag that said ‘Fenris’ on it in all caps.

“I didn’t get that call and no one wrote down your appointment - typical - but I’m the archivist on shift currently so looks like I’m stuck looking after you anyway,” the man (Fenris) said, glancing back at his crossword puzzle almost forlornly. Garrett wasn’t sure if he was teasing him or if he legitimately felt put out by Garrett’s presence. “Tell you what... I’ll help you out with poking around the archive if you do me a favor first,” he continued, uncapping a pen that had been lying between them.

Garrett snorted, “I’m not sure I want to agree to doing any favors for a guy with face tattoos.” He wasn’t imagining it this time when Fenris’ lips pulled up into a smirk. 

“Fair enough. It’s nothing dubious though. I was just going to ask you if you knew how to properly spell ‘lieutenant?’”  
  
\---  
  
Garrett spent a couple of hours scouring the archive’s dated catalogue in an effort to find records relevant to his research. Fenris hovered nearby in any room Garrett went, his job being to make sure Garrett wasn’t up to any stealing or damaging of the archive’s property. Garrett didn’t mind the company but it seemed like Fenris was a lot more comfortable with silence than he was. Mostly he sat off to the side and worked on his crosswords, occasionally asking for spelling help and giving only monosyllabic replies to Garrett’s attempts at small talk. 

Really the main reason Garrett was attempting small talk at all was the lack of good leads he was getting in his research. It was easy to get disheartened in the face of a system of organization that looked like it hadn’t been updated since the 1950’s. 

That, and the fact that Fenris seemed like an interesting person. Or that he _looked_ like he might be interesting, given Garrett didn’t actually have much knowledge about him on which to base his assumption. There was a short list of things Garrett did know: Fenris had an interest in preservation (obvious from his chosen field of work), his strange white tattoos appeared on his hands and even his ankles given the brief glimpses Garrett had gotten as they walked around the building (and he wondered just how much of Fenris’ body was covered in them), and Fenris was really awful at spelling despite his obvious intelligence. It was almost endearing but also frustrating to have his concentration broken by “Hey, does ‘armadillo’ have one ‘L’ or two?”

Finally Garrett sighed and began gathering his things. He had the whole semester to work on this paper so he wasn’t exactly crunched for time just yet.

Fenris looked up from his newspaper, his eyebrow raised. 

“Leaving so soon?” he said and capped his ballpoint. 

Garrett rolled his eyes. 

“Gotta head to the grocery store. It’s my night for dinner and my roommate keeps bringing home fast food instead of actually stocking our pantry.” Garrett slipped his messenger bag over his head and offered a crooked smile. “Besides I’ve been here for close to three hours, and granted this place is pretty small, but I’m sure you have other things you could be doing besides following me around. Wouldn’t want to waste your time.”

Fenris shrugged and stretched out his joints, following that by scratching his fingers through his hair several times in quick succession. His eyes slipped closed in pleasure just briefly and the movement left his hair attractively mussed. Garrett felt a strange but familiar tug in his chest.

“I usually have the intern do all the grunt work but she called in sick today, so really you were a very convenient excuse to get out of a good bit of it.” Fenris smirked that perfect smirk again and stood up from the stool he had been perched on for the last half hour or so. 

Perfect? Since when was his smirk perfect?

Garrett shook his head and grinned, leaning toward Fenris and stretching his hand out in farewell.

“Whatever the case may be, I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of me. It was great meeting you, Fenris.”

He hadn’t meant for that to sound so flirty, but it was out there now and there was no chance of taking it back.

An amused look passed over Fenris’ face. Then he clasped his hand firmly in Garrett’s and nodded curtly.

“Hawke.”  
  
\---  
  
Garrett took his time walking back to the apartment, two grocery bags in each hand. Rain had swept through that morning and the seasons were still shifting from summer to fall so the air was left warm and humid in its wake. Gloomy days were Garrett’s favorite for strolling and thinking. The world seemed to slow down and his mind felt clearer.

He wasn’t about to lie to himself. He was definitely attracted to that cute archivist and no matter what he tried to focus on, his attention kept wandering back to thoughts of his vibrant green eyes staring with intent focus either at his crossword or Garrett himself. Garrett felt pinned by his gaze and kind of like he was being studied and documented for later reference. There was probably a joke about Fenris being an archivist somewhere in that mess of feeling. 

Of course this wasn’t the first time Garrett had developed an infatuation with someone, stranger or no. However they were all fleeting and so he never gave them too much focus. He enjoyed the feelings of butterflies and heart flutters while they lasted and then continued on with his life when they were gone. He was banking on the same thing to happen this time. 

This was mostly a good thing in the long run anyway. Having a crush on a person who he would probably be seeing very frequently over the next couple of weeks was a lot better than say, hating their guts or being disgusted by their very existence. Crushing on Fenris was better than even being indifferent toward him because at least that would make Garrett’s research project more interesting. Or motivate him to take trips to the archive and carry out the research in the first place.

He slowly emerged from his reverie as his apartment building came into view. Lowtown Heights boasted an ironic name and status as a historic landmark in Kirkwall; something to do with being the old home of Champion So-and-So who did Such-and-Such grand deed a long long time ago; local history, but not the interesting kind or even the type to have solid evidence to back it up. The place was ancient and could use more than a few renovations that was for sure. Still it was an improvement for Anders at least who had moved in from a dilapidated hovel in a part of Kirkwall that locals charmingly referred to as Darktown. 

Garrett shifted his bags to one hand so he could fish for his apartment key in his pocket. He could hear one of the cats mewling from inside as he turned the doorknob and stepped in. Ser-Pounce-a-Lot immediately twisted himself around Garrett’s ankles and he almost tripped over him for the fourth time in five days. Not a great track record for either of them. 

Garrett sighed and only a little bit reluctantly leaned down to pet Ser-Pounce on his way to the kitchen. The apartment was sparsely decorated as neither he nor Anders had a lot of money or possessions to their names. His mother was always offering to help make the space cozier. Bethany called it a bachelor pad and Carver said all it needed was an in-home gym and about four more video game consoles to be perfect for him. As for Garrett, he was just content to have his own space and some semblance of independence despite his frequent visits home.

After setting out some water and cat food, Garrett removed his laptop from his bag to start organizing his research notes and when afternoon faded into evening he got to work preparing dinner. He made a stir fry which was the kind of dish he liked as it just required throwing a bunch of edible things into a pan with little to no technique. As it happened he was also quite adept at soups and crock pot based stews. 

He was just about to take the pan off the stove when he heard the latch on the front door rattle. 

Garrett turned around as Anders walked into the kitchen.

“God, that smells good,” Anders practically moaned, closing his eyes and sagging against the doorway. 

Garrett swallowed. “Rough day?” 

“You could say that.”

Anders was wearing a set of rumpled scrubs and his long blonde hair was pulled back into a haphazard bun revealing a single hoop glimmering on his right ear. His exhaustion was only emphasized by the visibly unchecked stubble along his jaw and the heavy bags under his eyes. 

He was gorgeous, especially so in these everyday domestic moments that only Garrett was present for.

So there was something Garrett might have been lying to himself about. 

He had one crush that was not just a passing phase or simple aesthetic interest. 

Garrett was pretty sure he had been head over heels for Anders for almost two years at this point. And if anything, moving in together over the summer had only made his feelings stronger. 

Anders eventually stood up straight and grabbed a glass from the drying rack before shuffling toward the fridge. Garrett forced his eyes back to the stove to avoid ogling his friend’s ass for the millionth time when he bent over to peruse his options. 

Okay one peek couldn’t hurt, right? 

Anders glanced at Garrett over his shoulder.

“Thirsty?”

Garrett spluttered, his face burning red, and bent further over the pan in front of him. “No I’m fine!”

He may have said that a bit too loudly for normal conversation. 

Either Anders didn’t notice or he chose not to acknowledge it. He pulled the refrigerator door open and grabbed the jug of milk Garret had bought earlier. 

“Is this all we have besides the tap?”

Garrett cleared his throat and tried to stand up straighter. “Well I’ve got one more beer left but that’s it. I only have two hands you know.”

Anders chuckled and sat down heavily at their kitchen table, glass of milk in hand. “Right. We’ll take my car and go together tomorrow.”

“Don’t you have clinic duty tomorrow?” Anders still volunteered at the local free clinic in his old neighborhood. 

“I signed up for the early morning shift so I’ll be done by the time your classes are over.”

“It’s no wonder you’re so exhausted all the time.”

“The people of this city need me, Garrett!”

Garrett smiled softly as he turned the stove off. Anders had said that as a joke but he wasn’t far off. Garrett’s love for Anders was definitely more than physical attraction. Anders was one of the kindest people Garrett had ever met and he had a talent for medicine that allowed him to channel that kindness into something tangible. He was definitely having a measureable impact on the Darktown community. 

His healing effect manifested in non-physical ways as well. Just being around him was calming and made Garrett’s day brighter.

Garrett turned toward the cabinet on his left to grab the plates but froze in his tracks, hand hovering in the air halfway to the cupboard door. Cat #2, which he hadn’t seen all day until now, was sitting on the counter and staring right at him. The cat’s cold blue eyes bored into his very soul. Garrett remained completely still. So did the cat.

“Anders.”

“Yes?”

“Your cat is doing that thing again.”

Anders looked up and started laughing as he stood and walked toward them.

“Aaaw Justice just wants some attention! Isn’t that right little guy?” He reached toward the cat and Justice swatted at his hand and hissed. Anders yanked his hand back and rubbed at the fresh scratch. “Ah well… He’ll warm up to us eventually.”

Garrett hesitantly opened the cabinet while Justice was distracted. “You’ve been saying that since I met you.”

“One day it will be true,” Anders said although he didn’t seem too sure of that himself. 

“All he does is sneak around the house out of sight and then flash his blue eyes at me all sinister from the shadows. I never thought something so small and fluffy could make me so nervous.”

Anders laughed and grabbed his plate from Garrett’s hand so he could begin serving himself. 

“He’s a friend, I promise.”

“If you say so…”

Garrett stared Justice down for just a moment longer before filling his own plate and grabbing his last beer from the fridge.

“I thought you said you weren’t thirsty?”

Garrett tried to fight the blush he felt creeping up his neck.

“Well, that was then and this is now. Let’s not live in the past.”

“You’re right, the past can kiss my ass,” Anders replied and the two men laughed as they sat down to eat together.


	3. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabela and Merrill make their debuts!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaah I know there was a long gap between the last chapter and this one. I'm still feeling things out and trying to see what kind of stuff I like writing the most. This fic is going to have a lot slower build up than I originally planned.
> 
> If you like this and you like fenhanders and you like mermaid AUs, you should check out my other fic Fish are Friends! I'm going to try and update the two in an alternating pattern.
> 
> Also if you have any questions or want to discuss my fics or headcanons, I recommend talking to me on tumblr because I often forget to reply to comments here. My url is muckkles there as well :)

Garrett and Anders managed to head out the door at about 2:30. The lunchtime traffic had died down a while ago and if they were lucky they would be leaving the grocery store before rush hour. 

Anders’ car wasn’t so much that as a rust bucket on wheels. Technically it hadn’t even been a “car” when it was new. Anders drove a large dark green van. Or it would have been green if several of the panels hadn’t been pulled from differently colored vehicles. Anders banged a hand on the hood before they got in; a habit developed in order to scare off any of the stray cats that seemed to always be lurking behind the tires. Garret swore Anders was like catnip in human form.

Garrett squeezed into the passenger side, the seat not being able to slide back quite far enough to comfortably fit his bulky form. There were multiple cigarette burns in the upholstery (from a previous owner) and over a dozen empty coffee cups littering the floorboards (from the current one). 

Anders halfheartedly shifted some of the bigger trash piles to the back.

“Sorry for the mess.”

He wasn’t genuinely sorry or even embarrassed at this point in their friendship and they both knew it.

Garrett flipped through Anders’ CD collection as they pulled out of the parking lot. 

“Rage Against the Machine? I don’t know what I was expecting. Where’s the good stuff?” 

“Good stuff? Please tell me you’re not asking me if I have a Ke$ha CD.”

Garrett didn’t look over but he knew Anders was rolling his eyes.

“I was gonna say Nicki Minaj but that works too. You need more Top 40 in your life. Everyone thinks so.”

“Everyone? Who’s everyone? I’m your only friend.”

Garrett sucked in a breath through his teeth and placed a hand over his heart, “Ooh, ouch! You wound me. I have Varric-“

“Who is about a thousand miles away.”

“And!” Garrett held up a finger. “If you would let me finish. I met this guy yesterday and I think we may have hit it off. So, there you go; two whole other friends besides you.”

“More like one and a half. And Varric isn’t the half.”

“Hey! Short jokes are in poor taste!”

“You and I both know Varric doesn’t give one shit about anyone making jokes at his expense, height related or otherwise.”

“Okay, true.”

Garrett haphazardly shoved all the CDs back in the glove box and decided to try his luck fiddling with the ancient radio. There wasn’t much to be heard through all the fuzz. Anders pulled up to a red light and slapped Garrett’s hands away so he could fix the radio himself. It almost never worked for anyone but Anders. Garrett thought he must have the magic touch for it. He grinned when something recognizable as music finally sounded through the speakers and Anders pursed his lips in thought as he sat back upright.

“So you met a guy.”

Then Garrett was looking anywhere but at Anders. His eyes flashed to the keys swinging slowly in the ignition and then to the car idling next to them and finally settled on staring straight out of the windshield. 

“Ah, um. Yeah.” 

There was no reason to be so nervous. It wasn’t as if he were cheating on Anders by making other friends. And there was no way for Anders to know about his crush on the guy. Or was there? Sometimes Garrett was concerned that he wore all his emotions on his sleeve. His face was an open book, at least to the people he cared about. He never got away with anything growing up because he was so bad at lying to his mother.

Anders flexed his fingers on the steering wheel as the light turned green.

“That’s-“

Suddenly they were both being pushed against their seats only to be violently flung forward immediately after. Garrett groaned and rubbed the growing lump where his head had struck his headrest.

Anders was similarly moaning and cursing and tending to sore spots. He sat up to look through the rear view mirror, “Some jackass just rear ended us!”

“There’s a Taco Bell right there just pull into the parking lot so we’re not sitting in the middle of a goddamn intersection.”

Already there were multiple people laying on their horns and Anders muttered more curses as he tentatively pressed on the gas. Garrett waved his hand out the window to show the other driver where they were headed. 

“That gas station was closer. I think you just wanted a burrito.”

“You know me too well.”

As Anders eased into a parking space, a sleek red car with a front fender that was completely smashed in pulled in next to them. The two men exchanged ‘Let’s get this over with’ sighs and stepped out of the van. Anders rushed to the back to inspect the damage and Garrett followed.

Garrett leaned in toward Anders’ ear, “Well, judging by the car I think they’re at least rich enough to pay for the damage.”

They both stood up straight as the sound of heels clicking on pavement drew toward them.

A woman appeared around the back corner of Anders’ van. She had brown skin and legs for miles, shown off by her exceedingly short skirt and Garrett felt like he was seeing more of her breasts than not. She pushed her sunglasses up onto her head to hold her long brown hair back and smirked red lips.

“Well, aren’t you a pair of lookers,” she said. “I would hold one woman dance parties in my car more often if it meant I could meet attractive people every time.”

Garrett and Anders glanced at each other. The two men were unshaven and wearing sweat pants and flip flops. Garrett was pretty sure he still had bed head from this morning. Not exactly the most attractive ensembles. 

Anders cleared his throat, “Yeah… so about calling the cops-”

The woman put her hands on her hips and made a face, “Ugh, don’t worry about that. We won’t be. Let’s just handle this between us, huh? No need to get the insurance companies involved either. I’ll just pay out of pocket if you don’t mind. How about it?” She smirked again and gave them a wink. 

“Well, I have to say I’m glad to hear that. I’m not exactly the police’s number one fan.” This was actually news to Garrett. He wondered what had happened to make Anders wary of them. 

“Who is, honestly,” the woman laughed and tossed her hair. “I know a cop – or an aspiring one anyway – and she’s a pain in the ass on the best days. Good friend though. Gotten me out of some scrapes.”

Garrett clapped his hands together, “Well then, if that’s that – Anders and I have some groceries to buy. We’ll get your number and be on our way.”

“Here take my card,” she pulled one out of the side of her bra. Garrett and Anders both raised an eyebrow. “My name’s Isabela by the way. And actually, I’m having a party next weekend with some friends. You two should come. You know, to make up for me slamming into you and all.”

Anders squinted at the card she handed him then barked a laugh, “This just says you’re a ‘Booty Pirate’ in bold red font.”

Garrett snickered and leaned over to examine it himself, “Do you always mix business cards with pleasure cards?”

“They’re one and the same if you try hard enough,” Isabela said and saluted them as she backed toward her car. “Call me and I’ll give you the address! See you next Friday!” And with that she disappeared into the driver’s seat. 

“Well there’s another one, see?” Garrett said, gesturing to Isabela’s car as she drove off.

Anders raised an eyebrow and tucked Isabela’s card away in his wallet, “Another what?”

“Another friend! Now I’m definitely up to two outside of you and Varric.”

“Five minutes of conversation and a party invite do not a friend make.”

“Maybe for you. My standards aren’t quite so high as yours.” 

“Hmm… she _was_ quite appealing.”

“You’re right. I could go hetero for her probably. But that might just be the boob afterimage talking.”

“Glad to hear my mind isn’t the only one it’s burned into,” Anders said and looked back at the large dent in the back of his van. Isabela’s car hadn’t been tall enough to do a ton of damage but it was enough so that the bottom of the doors to the back were smashed together, jamming them shut. He scratched the back of his neck. “You know I’m a little worried about bringing this into the shop. What if they declare it unsafe for the road?”

Garrett kicked his foot at a hubcap that seemed to be more rust than metal, “There’s no ‘what if’ about it. This thing’s a hunk of junk.”

Anders wrinkled his nose. Garrett loved it when he wrinkled his nose. 

“I don’t want to think about it. Let’s just get to the store.”

“I was promised burritos.”

“Right, how could I forget,” Anders replied dryly. 

Garrett grinned and bumped their shoulders together as they walked away from the van. Anders smiled fondly in return.

\---

Fenris plunked himself down at the archive’s front desk. He wiggled the mouse to the ancient computer and waited for it to realize that it should take that as a wakeup call. The university had recently placed a monumental task on the archive staff and they had barely made a dent in their work so far. He glanced up at the clock on the wall as he logged into the system. It was nearing noon; almost time for lunch then just four more hours to go. He was lucky to be working in the archive and not the general university library which seemed to be open 24/7 to students trying to finish last minute work. Having a regular schedule was comforting to him. He needed the stability. 

“Fenris? I forgot to tell you we have a student who reserved time to do some research today.”

Fenris closed his eyes. Stability had been slightly harder to come by after his intern turned out to be so forgetful. He massaged his temples in exasperation. 

“I’ve told you a hundred times: please enter reservations in the system so I can prepare ahead of time.”

He could hear Merrill tapping quickly at her keyboard from the small desk to his right. 

“Sorry! I wrote it down on a post-it note but I keep forgetting we’re trying to computerize everything now.”

“Where did you put the note?”

“Um…” Fenris opened his eyes to see Merrill gazing back at him sheepishly. “It was still stuck on the top of the stack. And the stack was in this drawer here. Please don’t be angry!”

“I’m not angry, just,” Fenris sighed. “What’s their name and when are they going to be here.”

Merrill picked up her stack of post-it notes, “Uh, I believe it’s Garrett if I remember correctly. I can barely read my own writing. And he’s going to be here in…” she hung her head, “In about five minutes.”

Fenris dragged a hand down his face, “See I would’ve liked to have known that Hawke was coming. I haven’t even prepared anything for him since last time. Now I’m going to look incompetent.”

Merrill perked up, “Ooh, do you know him, then? Why do you care what he thinks? You never care what anyone thinks.”

He shook his head, “I don’t know him. He just came in to do some research a couple days ago.”

“You called him ‘Hawke’ just now,” Merrill said, tapping her chin in thought.

“Yes, well that’s his name isn’t it?”

“It’s his last name. And I didn’t use it which means you must have remembered. Are you sure he’s only come in once before?”

“Please tell me why you chose today to start being observant.”

Just then the front door swung open and the little bell above it chimed. Fenris sat up straighter and took a moment to enjoy the view at the sight of Garrett Hawke. It was warmer outside now that the stormy weather had passed and Hawke was bearing his arms in a t-shirt. His very muscular arms. The guy already looked like a lumberjack with that beard and it seemed he had the build to match. 

Garrett’s face lit up a little when he saw Fenris. Of course that was silly and probably not true. Fenris was attracted to him and thus, projecting. Just wishful thinking. 

“Fenris! Good to see you.” 

Fenris was only a little happy that he had remembered his name as well.

“Welcome back, Hawke. Unfortunately Merrill forgot to write down your appointment again so I’m going to have to leave you with her for little bit while I go on my lunch break,” he said, shifting some papers to the side of his desk. He stood and pulled his messenger bag up with him. 

“Oh that’s perfect actually. I rushed over here without eating anything myself. Let’s go together,” Hawke grinned again. He looked like a dog waiting to be thrown a treat, and now Fenris wouldn’t be able to stop imagining him as a giant puppy. Great.

He found it extremely difficult to resist that look, but still he hesitated, “You want to use your reservation time to go have lunch with me?”

“Yeah sure, I’ll even pay.”

“Really?” Fenris stared in disbelief.

Hawke laughed, “Well, no not really. I’m poor. You pay for yours and I’ll pay for mine if you don’t mind.”

Merrill, who had been watching the whole exchange with interest, leaned forward over her desk, “You should go, Fenris! Go have a fun lunch with Hawke and then you can come back to boring old work after.”

Hawke shot her a look that was a mixture of confusion and amusement then turned back to Fenris and smiled again. He pulled the door open and stood waiting for Fenris to step out ahead of him. 

Fenris looked between Hawke and Merrill and absolved to bury his uncertainty deep down as he stepped out from behind the desk and walked out the door. He could hear Merrill giggling just before the door closed behind them. 

He wasn’t sure what to talk about as they began walking across campus toward the nearby Kirkwall State cafeteria. Hawke was an intimidating presence both physically and in his personality. Walking next to him on the sidewalk made Fenris acutely aware of just how much _bigger_ Hawke was in all areas. Not only was he possessed of a quick wit, he had an easygoing aura about him that made Fenris both relaxed and tense all at once. The tense part probably had something to do with his very obvious and growing attraction to the man. The man he had only known for three days now. 

Fenris was brought out of his reverie when Hawke started speaking. 

“So that must have been the intern you mentioned before.”

“Yeah, that’s Merrill.”

“Is she always this forgetful or is she just having a bad week?”

Fenris resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “No this is how she always is. Merrill’s not all bad though. At least she actually enjoys working at the archive unlike the last couple of interns they sent me. She’s more of a student assistant really. She’s a history undergrad at KSU; really good at it too.” 

“Are you not in school?” 

“No and I already have the degrees required of my job so I probably won’t go back either.”

Hawke’s steps faltered for a moment, “Wait… degrees? _Plural?_ How old are you?”

Fenris chuckled, “Not very. Just twenty-five. I knew exactly what I wanted to do going into college so I was actually able to finish my Master’s on schedule.”

“Twenty-five…” Hawke dragged a hand down his face. “That’s the same as Anders. I feel like such a baby suddenly.”

“You don’t look it,” Fenris eyed Hawke’s beard through his periphery.

Hawke rubbed at his jaw as if he could sense where Fenris’ mind was, “Luckily I come from a very hairy family. I’m almost scared to shave this off and see what kind of baby face lurks beneath.”

Fenris laughed quietly and glanced up at the man strolling at his side, “So is Anders your roommate then?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” Hawke fell silent for a moment and Fenris found himself itching to ask him what he was thinking about. Right as the pause in conversation was beginning to become uncomfortable, Hawke spoke up again, “So you wouldn’t believe what happened yesterday.”

Fenris floundered internally. The remark was made casually, as one would chat with a close friend. Everything about Hawke’s attitude made him feel as if they had been friends for months, not just days old acquaintances. He hardly knew anything about Hawke let alone what he did in his daily life. Hawke seemed to take his silence as an invitation to continue.

“Anders and I got invited to a party… by a woman who _rear ended us_ on our way to the grocery store,” he was laughing in disbelief as he spoke and Fenris was left stunned. He knew exactly the woman Hawke was talking about. 

“You’re the guys Bela hit?” he said incredulously. 

Hawke’s eyes widened in shock and he jolted to a full stop. Fenris skidded slightly on the gravel path at his sudden halt. 

“How do _you_ know about this? And how do you know Isabela?”

Fenris blinked, “She’s an old friend. We went to high school together actually. I saw the whole ordeal on her Snapchat story yesterday.”

Hawke looked off into the middle distance, “I’m not sure which of those pieces of information to be most surprised at.”

The two stared at each other for a long moment until Fenris felt his face breaking into a grin. Hawke smiled back and then they were both laughing, Fenris trying to stifle his mouth with his hand and Hawke letting out great guffaws.

Hawke wiped at his eyes, “Small world I suppose.”

Fenris wasn’t sure why but that prompted another wave of laughter out of him, “If you only knew Bela like I do you would know that crashing her car into a couple of strangers and subsequently inviting them to a house party then documenting the whole exchange through selfies is not the most ridiculous thing she’s ever done.”

“How did she describe us in the snaps, please I have to know.”

“I believe her exact words were ‘ratty Kurt Cobain look-a-like’ and ‘tall, dark, and hobo-y.’” Fenris tried hard to keep his face straight through that sentence but couldn’t quite manage it. 

That did it. Hawke dissolved into laughter once more and doubled over, one arm around his middle and the other supporting himself on his knee, “She said we were _lookers_ , Fenris. I knew she was lying.”

Fenris snickered, “Not lying, just unafraid to call it as she sees it.”

“Hobo-y, Fenris? Really? First Anders and now you, I’m being betrayed left and right,” Hawke finally stood up straight and rubbed at his red cheeks. “So are we going to see you at Isabela’s party?”

That pulled Fenris up short. Admittedly, he had been invited, but large parties weren’t really his thing. Or more accurately, large parties full of strangers weren’t his thing. And that meant pretty much every party considering his very small friend group. However, now that he knew that Hawke was going…

“I was debating, but honestly how could I pass up the Kurt Cobain look-a-like photo op?” That got another round of laughter out of Hawke. Fenris smiled, “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

Hawke clapped a hand on Fenris’ shoulder, “Perfect. Now let’s go get some lunch.”


End file.
